


Under the Water

by pyromanicofthesea



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, MerMay 2018, Post-Black Panther (2018), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, dancing flashbacks, seriously this is just a cute little fic I thought of about two weeks ago
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 03:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14708661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyromanicofthesea/pseuds/pyromanicofthesea
Summary: Steve visits Bucky between missions whenever he can. Sometimes there's a gap of a week or two. Sometimes Bucky doesn't hear from him in months. It's been months.





	1. Chapter 1

Every afternoon he would go down to the waterfront and spearfish. Sometimes he would catch something, and it served as lunch, and other times he would catch nothing within the hours, where then he would have lunch with Shuri or with some of the villagers who lived near his house.  
Hut.  
Well-furnished hut.  
Comfortable hut.  
Home.

Today was one of the days that Bucky caught lunch. He gutted three fish with skilled hands, filleting it on a stone slab. He started a fire in the same pit he used every time, speared the strips of fish onto wooden pikes, and it wasn't long before a few of the villagers noticed he had caught something that day. When he first arrived, well, when he first had been de-thawed, village children and sometimes their adults as well would watch from a distance as he prepped and cooked his meals, asking him questions in a language he didn’t know. He’d just smile, and continue what he was doing. Eventually Bucky’s presence in the rather isolated village became a normal, and the crowd he usually collected when he spent too long outside began to dwindle to a small handful of village children of varying ages who liked to bug the mysterious White Wolf. Sometimes the children would speak English to him, but mostly they found amusement in the confused look Bucky would get whenever he encountered a language he couldn’t yet pick apart.  
A young boy, maybe the age of ten, walked over with a younger girl with a painted face. He spoke in a language Bucky could now recognize, but still couldn't understand. He motioned for the boy and the girl to sit, and when the strips of fish were cooked properly, he offered some to the two. They each took a piece, and the three of them ate in peace and quiet.  
“Why do you always catch fish in the lake? Why not hunt the other animals?” the young girl asked, English catching Bucky's attention. He hadn't expected that, as it was mostly the older children and the adults who asked him questions while the younger children enjoyed poking fun.  
“Have you ever tried to tie a trap with one hand?” When the child shook her head, Bucky replied with a bitten back laugh. “It's very difficult. Spearfishing doesn't need two hands, and so,” he finished his sentence by nodding over towards the cooked strips of fish.  
“I want to learn!”  
“Hey, if you learn, then you have to teach me! I want to learn too,” the young boy said, half to the girl and half to Bucky. Bucky just shook his head as the two began to argue. It was rather amusing. He figured they must be siblings, or at the very least sibling-close friends. It was rather heartwarming. It reminded him a bit of how he and Steve were as children.  
Steve.  
He hadn't seen Steve in a long while. He knew that he was on some mission, undercover because of everything that happened with, well, with him. With the Winter Soldier. Bucky shook his head and took another bite of the lunch he cooked. Those weren't thoughts he needed right now.

Later that evening, Bucky found himself thinking of exactly what he had decided he didn’t need to think about that afternoon. He was tempted to email Natasha. She at least had a way to get ahold of. Silently he cursed Steve and his lack of technology. Email. Email was a simple thing to acquire. Email had been around for years. Hell, a phone number. They had a phone when they were still, well, in their proper time. But, Steve had none of this, as far as Bucky knew, and so Natasha was Bucky’s only hope.  
He rolled over onto his side and decided against it. He was just missing his friend, he didn't need to be clingy. He was never clingy before, there was no reason to start now. Steve was fine, he always was. Even during the war, even when everyone thought it was the end of the world, Steve would somehow keep going how he always did. It was admirable, really. He always managed to keep his head, or he was far too skilled in pretending to. In all actuality, it was most likely a combination of both.  
His thoughts went to those nights during the war, before he was deployed, when the end of the world turned into living every night like you had nothing to lose. An evening in late November of 1936 stood out in his mind the most. It had been nearly a month since Sarah had died, and Bucky was once again trying to cheer Steve up after something had brought back memories of his mother.

“There’s no shame in not knowing how to dance. Here, come here, I’ll teach you how. It’s easy, it won’t take long.” Steve shook his head, but Bucky was holding out his hand, serious in his offer. Steve couldn’t help but laugh as he took Bucky’s hand. Bucky loved that laugh. The one that was laced with both admiration and the common phrase of ‘Bucky, you’re an idiot’.  
“Alright, want me to be the girl?”  
“Only if you intend on dancing just with guys.” Steve’s face grew red, and Bucky couldn’t help the smile that crept onto his face. It was so easy to fluster Steve with the little things Bucky would say when they were alone. Not that he was so open about not giving two shits in public, but the longer they knew each other, the more it surprised him that Steve would blush or look away when something Bucky said reminded him that Bucky gave zero cares about the personal lives of others.  
“Bucky!”  
“Alright, alright, I’ll be the girl just for you, Stevie.”  
They danced throughout the night, until Bucky was out of records to play. Steve was clumsy at first, tripping over his own feet and losing beat of the music, but eventually he had started to get the hang of it all. It wasn’t anything elaborate, just a four count to a box step. He tried to spin Bucky a few times, and the first few Bucky didn’t duck down enough to avoid getting twisted up. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t mind it when his arms would get twisted with Steve’s and they’d end up closer for a moment. The one time Steve successfully spun Bucky, the look on his face lit up Bucky’s entire night. It was part of the reason that night would become to special to him.  
Hand in hand they swayed, and Bucky found himself hoping the moment would last forever. The end of the world could wait until the morning.

Bucky ended up falling asleep reliving the memories he had from before he was deployed. He still didn’t remember much, but what he did remember, he held close and recounted it often. Every memory he had from before his time as the Winter Soldier he would go over and over, trying to make sure he never lost them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It gets better, just wait for chapter two (which will come out either tomorrow or Monday). Thank you so much for reading though! I'm enjoying writing these two, so more can be expected of me.
> 
> Have questions? Thoughts? Just want to talk to the author? I'm [smokedoutcoldstar](https://smokedoutcoldstar.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.  
> Enjoyed the story? Please consider [buying me a coffee?](https://ko-fi.com/pyromanic)


	2. Chapter 2

Fishing that afternoon was one of the most surreal things Bucky had experienced in a long time. There were hardly any fish around, despite him only catching a few yesterday. The lack of fish near the shore of the lake was gradually putting Bucky on edge. He stood further from the shore than normal, hoping to catch something for lunch. Though, he hadn’t spoken to Shuri in a while, so perhaps heading to the palace for a bite to eat and a visit wouldn’t be too bad. He enjoyed talking with the young genius. She was just as interested in his time as he was with hers.  
Something moved beneath the water, claiming all of Bucky’s attention. He adjusted his grip on the spear, ready for one of the more dangerous predators of the water to be inching its way to the shallow part of the lake. Eyes the larger than a human’s weren’t what he was expecting to see when he looked into the clear, dark water. The glare of the midday sun was preventing him from seeing more of what was below the surface. He could feel his nerves try to twitch fingers that were no longer there, and for a moment Bucky found himself missing his metal arm.  
The eyes met his and stared, both the creature and himself unblinking. It didn’t seem to be hostile, so Bucky stabbed his spear into the sand of the shore and crouched down. The creature skittered back in the water, frightened by the sudden movement. Bucky held out his hand under the water, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that warned him against risking his last good hand so carelessly. Something brushed against his palm. It felt like claws, but it didn’t hurt, didn’t pierce skin, and Bucky was fighting with himself to keep his hand underneath the water.  
A head peeked out of the water, just enough for the eyes to be above the surface. They were large, though oddly human-shaped. There was something about the liquid blue that surrounded the large, black orbs just enough to be seen up close that set off alarms in Bucky’s head.  
The claws were back on Bucky’s hand, holding it almost tenderly. The flesh of the creature felt similar to the flesh of an eel, or a dolphin. The way it held his hand, the way it looked expectantly up at Bucky, it all set off louder and louder alarms. This creature, as crazy at it sounded, reminded him too much of-  
“White Wolf!” The squeals of a few of the village children pierced the quiet air, and the creature fled beneath the water. Bucky sighed as he watched it disappear into the darkness of the lake’s depths. He stood and pulled his spear from the sand, turning to face the children running up to him. “Did you catch anything today?”  
“Not with all of this noise of yours,” Bucky teased, flashing the children a smirking smile. The children giggled amongst themselves, and Bucky just shook his head. He couldn’t get the image of that creature’s eyes out of his head. They were so familiar, the chills those eyes gave him had yet to fade.

The chills still hadn’t left him that night. They looked so real, so crystalline, so _Steve_. Bucky messaged Natasha. He had to know that Steve was alright.  
“What's your status?” He didn't have time for pleasantries, he hoped Natasha would understand. He paced the floor of his hut waiting for Natasha to respond. He knew even on their secure communication line, he should avoid using names, but every fiber of his being wanted to demand Natasha to answer and report on Steve. He would just have to wait. Wait, and pace.  
Natasha sent her response an hour later, nearly confirming Bucky's concerns.  
“We lost contact with One four days ago. Mission continues without.” Bucky felt sick as he reread her message, wanting to be sure of what Natasha was reporting. They lost contact with Steve four days ago. Bucky was mentally kicking himself for not contacting Natasha sooner. The bedroom of his hut was suddenly too hot for him to breathe, trying to suffocate him.  
Bucky found himself walking down to the waterfront, looking out into the lake. His feet were in the water, cold against the warm night air. He couldn't believe he was contemplating trying to find the creature from that afternoon. This was madness. There was no proof that the creature was Steve. Eyes and a coincidence, that's all Bucky had to go on. He stripped and plunged himself into the water, the cold nothing compared to the winters he spend under HYDRA’s capture.  
A deep-seeded part of Bucky's mind wished he still had that metal weapon of an arm he once did, solely for the fact that his good arm struggled to help him swim properly in the cold. He knew Shuri was working on designing him a new arm, but, outside of the current moment, Bucky wasn’t entirely sure if he actually wanted it. He was finally free of HYDRA - for the most part, at least - and he didn’t want a larger reminder of what the terrorist organization stole from him.  
Black eyes and bioluminescent skin met Bucky almost without warning, though in his defense, he was struggling to keep his eyes open under the water. Bucky was about to speak when he remembered he was submerged in the lake. Instead, Bucky offered his hand to the creature, and the creature took it. Bucky gently swam upwards, trying to hint that he wanted to surface. He needed to know if this creature was Steve or just a rare aquatic animal hidden in Wakanda. The creature went with Bucky willingly, as if it already knew him, already trusted him. The two swam to shore hand in hand.  
“Can you understand me?” Bucky asked once they reached the shore’s surface. The creature nodded, black eyes seeming to light up. Bucky decided to continue. “Do you know me?” He was met with another, equally excited, nod. “How?” The creature brought its clawed hand out of the water, balancing its weight on its other hand still under the water.  
In the sand of the shore, the creature wrote in poor penmanship, _‘childhood’_. Just under that, it wrote _’the War’_. The creature looked up at Bucky, expectancy bleeding across its face as it awaited the man’s reaction. Bucky could feel his heart jump. The name was on his tongue, but he was hesitant to speak. He could be dreaming. He could be wrong.  
“Steve?” The creature nodded and Bucky hugged the creature with such a force that they both were knocked into the waters away from shore. Bucky spat water out of his mouth and coughed out a laugh. His smile was warm as the creature, as Steve, looked at him with what Bucky hoped he read correctly as endearance. “I have so many questions.”  
It was late in the night, and they both were well aware of that. Bucky wanted to stay in the lake and talk to Steve all night, but he knew that he would regret that in the morning, so he took Steve’s hand and lead the creature back to the shore where the sand was.  
_’Missed you’_ Steve wrote once they were back at the shore. Bucky smiled at that, glad that he was still in Steve’s thoughts.  
“I’ve missed you too. How did this even happen? Were you always a,” Bucky paused, looking Steve over, “a mermaid?” Steve shook his head, and his gills fluttered in what Bucky assumed was a laugh.  
_’No’_ he wrote, and just below it he added, _’mission went south’_. There were a million thoughts inside Bucky’s head, all wanting to be spoken at once. Only one thought made it out, though.  
“I’m glad that you’re alright, pal,” he said, giving Steve a warm, tired smile. Aquatic animal or human, Bucky was just happy to see Steve alive and relatively well. Steve leaned up and nudged Bucky's chin with his forehead, and Bucky took it as affection. He hugged the man close, lifting him half out of the water. Had he had his eyes open during the hug, Bucky would've been able to see the shimmering tail that was where human Steve's legs should have been. Instead, he only felt when Steve tapped his shoulder, and Bucky released him. Steve sank back into the water, until it covered his gills. Bucky smiled rather sheepishly. “Sorry. Forgot you're a fish now.”  
_’Your fish’_.  
“Yeah, yeah, my fish.

The two communicated like that until sunrise, Steve writing in the sand and Bucky speaking to reply. He learned that Steve had made his way to Wakanda after escaping because he didn’t know where else to go. He had been captured by ex-HYDRA scientists and used in a genetic experiment. Bucky theorized that the serum that turned Steve into Captain America was what turned him into a mermaid instead of killing him during the experiments, but neither of them truly knew.  
Eventually, Bucky needed to go back to his hut so he could sleep before sunrise, not wanting to cause any of the villagers to worry about him if he slept through the daylight hours. He kissed Steve’s forehead before he went, promising to return that night.  
Before Bucky went to bed, he made an encrypted long-distance call.  
“Clint? It’s Bucky, sorry about the late call but I need you to do me a favour,” Bucky said as he looked out his window, watching the water of the lake. “Don’t laugh, I swear I’m being serious. I need you to teach a mermaid and me American sign language.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so much fun to write! I'm tempted to write more, but I also felt like this was a good, open place to end on. Mayhaps I'll revisit this idea some other time and make some "Bucky's Adventures with a Mer-Steve" one-offs or something like that? Would anyone be interested in that?  
> Expect more from me, Marvel/Avenger-verse-wise, because I have several projects both big and small that I'm currently working on and am determined to finish and get out there. Thank you so much to everyone who had read this, it's very appreciated <3
> 
> Have questions? Thoughts? Just want to talk to the author? I'm [smokedoutcoldstar](https://smokedoutcoldstar.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.  
> Enjoyed the story? Please consider [buying me a coffee?](https://ko-fi.com/pyromanic)


End file.
